After four seasons in the minors, Robinson reached the majors in 1987 as a part of the Tigers rotation. He made his big league debut on April 12th and threw 7 innings of one-run ball to beat the Chicago White Sox. He went 9-6 in his rookie campaign and made one brief appearance in the 1987 ALCS, in which his team lost to the Minnesota Twins. He then put together his best season in 1988, going 13-6 with a 2.98 ERA before being sidelined by an injury in August.

Robinson won 10 games for Detroit in 1990, but his ERA ballooned to 5.96. Prior to the 1991 season, he was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles for Mickey Tettleton. After one year with the O's, he split the 1992 campaign between the Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He returned to the Tigers later that year, playing briefly in the minors for them before ending his career.

Robinson is not to be confused with Jeffrey D. Robinson, a major league contemporary of his.